Not the gap between the Eagles and the next tier of teams with more wins than losses, but that Nick Foles sustained a concussion in the loss to the Cowboys.

“There’s a series of tests he’s got to go through and then he’s got to see an independent doctor before he can be cleared,” Kelly said yesterday. “I saw Nick after the game last night. He seems like he’s doing well. But all that stuff, and rightly so, there’s a protocol and a system you go through before he’s cleared. But he says he feels good so we’ll see how he goes as he progresses.”

After watching fourth-round pick Matt Barkley in the fourth quarter of the latest defeat, a 17-3 setback, the Eagles need Foles or Michael Vick to recover — fast.

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Barkley threw three interceptions in the fourth quarter. For the Cowboys, it was as easy as catching balls from a Jugs machine. That was the only quarter Donnie Jones wasn’t required to punt. And Jones punted nine times.

Kelly hedged when asked which quarterback would take the snaps with the first team at practice this week because Foles is out indefinitely and Vick has practiced on a limited basis, but was idle the last two games with a pulled hamstring.

Regardless of the games Kelly plays with the media about not engaging in hypotheticals, which we all know are a big part of coaching, the players know what’s going on. And the players know who the starting quarterback is even if Kelly feels there’s no benefit in saying who the guy is before the Eagles (3-4) host the New York Giants Sunday.

“Mike Vick is our starting quarterback,” offensive tackle Jason Peters, the most decorated Pro Bowl player on the squad said after the game Sunday. “Foles stepped up last week and got us a win. Today we didn’t get it done. Don’t try to make it like it’s a quarterback controversy over one game. Guys win and lose. You wouldn’t do this if it was Brady or Manning. We just go with our starting quarterback and we’re going to go and try to win games. And if Foles or Barkley, whoever is back there that comes in and plays if Mike can’t go, we’re going to back them 100 percent.”

The frustration was over the loss to the Cowboys, the ninth straight at home for the Eagles, tying a franchise record. A handful of Eagles players were frustrated with the Kelly offense that produced just three points.

The reality is the Eagles have scored more than 20 points just once against a team with a winning record this season. Whatever the reason for the frustration, Kelly felt it prudent to preach unity.

“I think everybody gets frustrated out there,” Kelly said. “The biggest thing when you get frustrated is do something about it. Make it happen and continue. I think we talked about it after the game. We’ve got to stick together as a group. It’s always us against the other team. It can’t be us against us. I’m confident this team will stick together.”

Then again, it could depend on who the quarterback is. Vick has done it for years. He’s 58-47-1 as the starter. Foles is 2-6.

What seems fairly clear is if Foles and Vick can’t play and the Eagles sign another quarterback, Barkley is the fallback.

“You got anybody else out there?” Kelly said.

Not exactly a ringing endorsement, but that’s life right now for the Eagles.

If there was good news for the Eagles Monday it’s that Kelly reiterated that Vick felt he was moving in the right direction.

“So it will be interesting to see where he is,” Kelly said, “from a standpoint of coming in here and running around a little bit tomorrow morning, in terms of warm-up with the strength and conditioning staff and how that goes.”